Congratulations to Professor Jo Angouri following the release of materials outlining practical strategies to medical teams as they adapt to working in restrictive Level 3 PPE.

These outputs are as a result of the ‘Teamwork in the Covid-19 Zone’ study (supported by an Economic and Social Research Council IAA funding grant) led by Professor Jo Angouri working with Dr Chris Turner, a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

This unique and timely study is part of an exciting ongoing collaboration between Professor Angouri and Dr Turner on leadership and teamwork in trauma settings, and one of the few projects bringing together Sociolinguistics and Emergency Medicine.

Since the emergence of Covid-19, healthcare staff have been required to wear FFP3 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in the resuscitation of the sickest patients. This includes wearing a full facemask, eye protection, gloves and surgical gown as an essential part of protecting themselves, colleagues and patients. PPE creates a physical barrier which restricts body movement, hearing, lip reading and peripheral vision. These sensory limitations have changed the way medical teams work and engage with colleagues and patients.

Professor Angouri commented: “By observing simulated scenarios we were able to gain an authentic glimpse of how emergency teams are adapting to the challenges of communicating when wearing Level 3 PPE, and to identify and share good practice.”

• The video is available at: https://youtu.be/zj4yNhCj1Wo
• A hi-res pdf of the poster can be downloaded HERE
• Teamwork in the Covid-19 Zone Impact Webpages

A full press release regarding this work is available here.

We are also looking forward to further resources to support medical practitioners as a result of the collaboration being published in the Summer.